A local resident informed FFRF that a bible verse was on display above the front desk at Comanche Elementary School in Comanche, Okla. It read: “Welcome, The Lord bless you and keep you. Num. 6:24.”
“Public schools may not advance, prefer, or promote religion,” FFRF Legal Fellow Chris Line wrote to Comanche Public Schools Superintendent Terry Davidson. “This display violates this basic constitutional prohibition by creating the appearance that the district prefers religion over nonreligion. Courts have continually held that school districts may not display religious messages or iconography in public schools.”
Religion is a divisive force in public schools, FFRF added. The religious display at Comanche Elementary was particularly inappropriate given the young and impressionable age group that the school serves.
Comanche Public Schools agreed with FFRF’s contention and reacted swiftly and appropriately.
“Please be advised that the display has been removed,” Davidson recently replied in an email. “It is always our intent to be fully compliant with the Constitution and I appreciate your letter making us aware of this violation.”
